Question

In her reevaluation of Renaissance cartographic practices, historian Elena Vance challenges the prevalent assumption that sixteenth-century sea charts were purely utilitarian instruments devoid of aesthetic or ideological intent. Vance convincingly demonstrates that portolan charts frequently incorporated iconographic conventions designed to reinforce monarchical claims to maritime sovereignty. However, her assertion that mapmakers deliberately distorted coastal topographies to serve geopolitical agendas rests on tenuous methodological footing. While Vance meticulously documents artistic embellishments in map margins, she treats cartographic inaccuracies—often attributable to instrument limitations or navigational error—as calculated acts of political dissimulation. Consequently, whereas her thesis regarding the symbolic dimension of early modern maps provides a valuable corrective to utilitarian reductionism, her broader claim regarding systematic cartographic deception remains largely unpersuasive.

Based on the passage, which of the following statements accurately characterize the author's attitude toward Elena Vance's scholarship? Select all that apply.